


Time For Amnesia

by Anonymous



Series: Ninjago Things [7]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Amnesia, Basically Kai gets amnesia immediately after season 7, He must suffer so that I feel good, Kai is my emotional support punching bag, Kai’s last memory is before the pilots, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Trust Issues, What else can I add without spoilers??, When I put the Graphic Descriptions Of Violence tag on here I mean it, everyone suffers, yes the title is a pun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:20:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27799876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Kai wakes up in an unfamiliar place surrounded by crazy people who seem to think they know him. How did he get here? What’s going on? Why are they telling him he has amnesia, he remembers everything!... doesn’t he?ORKai gets amnesia and forgets everything, his last memory is pre-pilots and he has no idea why he’s on a flying boat. Chaos ensues.((Yeah this is from my tumblr, someone requested that I post it here because they couldn’t find all of the chapters.))
Relationships: Cole/Jay Walker, Cole/Kai (Ninjago), Cole/Kai/Jay Walker/Zane, Cole/Zane (Ninjago), Jay Walker/Zane, Kai & Nya (Ninjago), Kai/Jay Walker, Kai/Zane (Ninjago), Lloyd Garmadon & Kai
Series: Ninjago Things [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686901
Comments: 115
Kudos: 140
Collections: anonymous





	1. Who Are You People?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Do I have other things to be doing? Yes. Am I going to do them? No. 
> 
> Enjoy.

Kai blinks a few times. Where is he? What’s going on? 

He’s- he’s underwater! He tries to pull himself up to the surface, but he can’t, he just can’t, the water around him is too heavy and **_he_** **_can’t breathe_** -

Then everything starts to fade away in the blue surrounding him, and then-

And then, nothing.

* * *

Kai frowns, squinting as he wakes up. He’s- he’s in a room a little smaller than the Four Weapons shop, laying on a bed with red sheets. As his eyes come into focus, he notices a ginger who looks to be about his age sleeping in a chair beside him.

Who the hell is this guy?! Where is he? What in the world is going on?!

Kai tries to get up from the bed, but it makes a loud creaking noise as he does, and the ginger starts awake. Blinking a few times, his face breaks out in a smile when he sees him.

“Kai! You’re awake!” He exclaims, rushing over to him. He tries to wrap the brunet into a hug, but Kai jumps off of the bed and holds his arms out in front of him as a makeshift shield.

“Who are you? How do you know my name? Where am I? What’s going on?” 

The ginger frowns, looking at him with a confused expression. But then, after a few moments, he starts snickering. “Okay, pretty funny. I probably would’ve made that joke too.”

Kai glares at him. “I’m not joking!” He snaps, crossing his arms. “Now tell me what’s going on or-“ He hesitates, trying to think of a threat. “Or- or else!” 

The guy rolls his eyes. “Okay, it was funny the first time, but now you’re pushing it. Wait here, I’ll go get Zane.” He makes to leave, but Kai grabs him by the arm.

“Look, I don’t know what kind of game you think you’re playing here, but this isn’t funny. Take me back to the shop before you make me hurt you.” He snarls.

There’s a tense pause, realization and fear dawning in the ginger’s blue eyes. “You- you really don’t remember?”

Kai tightens his grip. “I didn’t forget anything. Take me back to the shop!”

“Shop? Do- do you mean Four Weapons? The blacksmithing place?” 

“Yeah. I do. Now take me home, it’s my turn to make dinner and I don’t want Nya to worry about me.” Kai glares.

The ginger swallows. “Uh. O- okay, you know what? I’ll just- I’ll just go get Lloyd-“

“I don’t want to talk to any of your stupid friends! I want to go home!”

The guy tries to wrench himself out of Kai’s grip, but Kai just holds on tighter. 

He laughs nervously. “Listen, Kai, I’m just going to go get the others, and we can all just talk this out-“

Kai gets in his face. “ **_I said_ ** , I don’t want to talk to your stupid friends. Now take me back to the shop.” He growls threateningly.

The ginger opens his mouth to reply, but just then, the door opens. A short blond wearing green stands there, looking concerned. But he quickly smiles when he looks at Kai. “You’re awa-!”

Kai doesn’t hesitate. He pushes past the blond and  **_runs_ ** , runs as fast as he can to get away from these crazy people and get back to Four Weapons.

He runs down a series of halls, picking random directions and hoping that he can find a way out.

After what feels like forever, he reaches the outside. He rushes forward, ready to escape wherever this place is-

And then he realizes that he’s on some kind of boat.

Cursing, he runs over to the side, looking out to try and spot the nearest land-

Only to find that  **_the boat is fucking flying_ ** .

Kai backs away from the side, mind racing at a hundred miles per hour. Okay, he’s on a flying boat. Alright, he- he just needs to figure out how to make this thing land so that he can jump overboard and get away.

As he’s backing up, he walks into something- or rather,  **_someone_ ** .

Spinning around, he finds himself face-to-face with a tall man wearing all black. He has a bright green scar on the side of his face, half hidden by his shaggy black hair.

Kai tries to run- to where, he has no idea- but the man grabs his arm. “Kai, slow down! What’s going on?”

“Let go of me!” Kai snaps, trying to wrench his arm out of his grasp- but the noiret is just too damn strong. No matter how hard he pulls or what direction he twists, he can’t get himself out.

“I’ll let you go when you calm down. What’s going on?” The man repeats. 

“I’ve been kidnapped by a bunch of psychos, that’s what’s going on!” The brunet growls, continuing to try and escape.

The man’s grip just tightens, which makes Kai cry out in pain.

The noiret immediately releases him. “I-  **_shit_ ** , I didn’t mean to hurt you. Are you oka-“

Kai doesn’t wait for him to finish, he just takes off, sprinting as he tries to find a way off of this ship- or at least a good place to hide.

He hears loud clamor coming from all over, but he eventually creeps into the red room from before and shoves himself under the bed.

He’ll just hide down here until he can figure out some kind of plan to escape these crazy people.

But his mind is still whirling with questions.

How did they all know his name? Why did they kidnap him? Is Nya okay? Why is the boat flying? How did he even  **_get_ ** kidnapped?

The thoughts bombard him for hours. He’s tempted to try and make a break for it, but every time he’s about to creep out from under the bed, he hears a loud noise or a nearby voice that makes him decide to stay hidden.

But he’s going to get out of here. He needs to find Nya.

And he’ll do whatever it takes to get to her.


	2. These People Kidnapped Us... Right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s siblings time!!

  
Kai tenses when, hours later, the door opens.  **_Shit_ ** . Do they know he’s in here?

There’s a sigh, and someone sits in the chair beside the bed. From where he’s laying, Kai can just make out some green pants.

So it’s probably the blond from before. Well, unless there’s more people wearing green. But something tells him that this is the same guy- though he’s not sure what.

“Kai, if you’re in here, could you please come out? I promise that we just want to help.” The green-clad guy promises.

Kai doesn’t budge. He’s not going to let himself be lured out that easily. He’s not  **_stupid_ ** .

“From what Jay tells me, you have amnesia. I know you can’t remember us, but we’re your friends.”

With an eye roll, Kai silently urges the guy to leave. He’s not buying this garbage. 

The blond sighs. “I know you're in here, Kai. I know you too well to not know that. Please come out.”

Kai doesn’t move from his spot under the bed. There’s no way that they’re going to talk him into whatever they have planned.

A few minutes pass in silence, but then he hears the guy getting up.

Kai breathes a quiet sigh of relief.

But then the guy gets down next to the bed, peeking his head under it. He gives Kai a gentle smile that’s probably supposed to be reassuring, but all Kai can think about is how he needs to get out of there.

Scrambling back, Kai tries to roll out to the other side of the bed, but the blond grabs his wrist. With strength that seems almost obnoxious for a guy his size, he drags Kai out.

He does everything he can think of to try to get away, but the guy seems to be able to predict his every move. He pulls Kai against his chest, the brunet facing away. He can see the door, **_its right in front of him_ ** , but he can’t break free of the blond’s grasp.

“Kai, take a deep breath, okay? I promise that I’m not going to hurt you.” 

Kai tries not to listen, but he eventually runs out of energy. Panting, he sags against the weirdo kidnapper, silently cursing himself. He needs to get out of here!

“Good.” The blond loosens his grip some- but not nearly enough for him to get away. “My name is Lloyd. I’m a friend of yours. Can you tell me the last thing you can remember?” 

Clamping his mouth shut, Kai decides that he’s going to make this as difficult as possible. There’s no way that they’re going to convince him that he knows them- why would he be living on a flying boat? He’s got a shop to run!

Lloyd sighs. “Kai. I just want to help. You were talking about Four Weapons, Jay says? Have you met Wu yet?”

Kai grits his teeth. “I don’t know a ‘Wu’. Now let me go! I need to go back home-”

“You  **_are_ ** home.” Lloyd tells him firmly, his voice leaving no room for argument. “You live here with us, on the Destiny’s Bounty. I-” He then pauses a moment, considering something. “Do you want to talk to Nya? She’s here.”

Kai sucks in a deep breath. He doesn’t believe anything that they’re saying, but if Nya’s here… he’s going to have to play along long enough to rescue her.

“Yeah, okay. I think I’m getting this.” He lies. “You’re Lloyd, and, uh…” He tries to come up with something that seems to fit the blond. “... green is important to you.”

He mentally facepalms. ‘Green is important’ where did he get that?! Why did he just-

Much to his surprise, Lloyd releases him. “Yeah.” He nods with a small smile. “I’m the green ninja.”

Kai resists the urge to roll his eyes.  **_Ninja_ ** ? Seriously? Now he’s just being ridiculous. 

But instead of arguing, he just plays along. “That sounds… vaguely familiar. But, uh… you said you’d take me to Nya.”

Lloyd nods, walking over to the door. “Follow me.” He instructs.

So Kai lets the blond lead him through the ship, silently urging him to walk faster. Eventually, he walks into a room that looks like it's the bridge of the ship.

Looking around, he lights up when he sees Nya. She looks somewhat different, but it's definitely her.

She looks over at them. “Kai!” She grins, running up to him and wrapping him in a hug. 

Kai feels his own grin form. “Nya!” He hugs her back, relieved. She seems uninjured, so thats a good sign. But still, something seems…  **_off_ ** .

The thought hits him suddenly. Of course! She’s playing along with the whole amnesia thing so that she can gain their trust and escape!

He lets go and looks over at Lloyd. “Could I talk to her for a minute? Alone?”

Lloyd seems surprised by that, but he nods. “Of course.” He agrees. With one last concerned expression, he heads off, leaving the two by themselves.

Kai breathes a sigh of relief. “I’m glad you’re okay.” He smiles. Then he pauses a moment, looking around warily. “Can they hear us in here?” He whispers.

Nya frowns. “No, the bridge isn’t bugged.” She confirms. “Why do you ask?”

“So we can talk in private. Do you have a plan, or were you waiting for me to wake up?” Nya looks really confused, but he keeps talking. “They trust you enough to leave you unsupervised on the bridge, which seems like a big deal. But-”

“Kai, what are you talking about?”

Kai arches an eyebrow. “Uh, escaping? Did they teach you how to land this thing, or should we just try to figure it out?”

“What do you mean ‘escaping’?” Her brows furrow. “We’re not hostages or anything.”

Kai gives her a suspicious glance. “So… we can leave?” 

“I mean, yeah, but why would we want to?” Once she speaks, realization dawns in her eyes. “Your amnesia. Kai, what's the last thing you can remember?’

The brunet stares at her in shock. “Wha- not you too! Nya, I don’t have amnesia. These people kidnapped us…. Right?” He’s starting to grow uneasy. 

“What’s the last thing you remember?” She insists. “This is important.”

Kai frowns, thinking back. “I, uh… I closed up the shop for the day. We had mac and cheese for dinner, it was your turn to cook. I told you that I was going to take another crack at sword making tomorrow, and you laughed and made a joke about how bad I was at it. Then we went to bed, and… and I woke up here.”

Nya’s expression shifts to shock. “Is that really the last thing you remember?” She breathes.

He feels nervousness start to settle in his gut. “Y- yeah. Why?”

“Kai…” Her somber expression puts him on edge as she speaks in a low tone. Looking him dead in the eyes, she continues.

“... that was almost four years ago.”


	3. I Don’t Have Laser Guns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai is dumb, but what else is new?

Kai feels his heart rate pick up as his eyes widen. “It-  **_what_ ** ?” He breathes, shock overtaking him. 

No. No, there’s no way! That can’t-  **_four years ago_ ** ?!

“That was the night before the skeleton attack, the night before you met W-“

“Skeleton attack?!” Kai interrupts, staring at her in shock. “What do you mean ‘skeleton attack’?!”

Nya sighs. “That’s far from the craziest thing that’s happened to us.” She admits. “And there’s a lot to unpack for four years worth of memories.”

Kai nods slowly, still trying to process what she said. Four years? He lost  **_four years_ ** of his life?

“C’mon, let’s go find the others. Who have you seen since you woke up?”

“Uh, an annoying ginger, a really buff guy with a green scar, and that Lloyd person.” Kai explains, feeling his uneasiness overtake him once more. Does he really know these people?

Nya nods. “I’m glad you saw me before Zane, that would’ve gone badly.” 

“Zane?” Kai questions, following Nya as she starts to lead him somewhere new in the ship, or ‘the Destiny’s Bounty’ as Lloyd referred to it.

“He’s mechanical.” She explains.

Kai frowns. She’s talking about something robotic with gendered pronouns? That’s… weird. Is ‘Zane’ sentient? It-  **_he_ ** must be, given the way she’s speaking about him.

She leads him to a new room- a dining area, it looks like. “It’s almost lunch,” she explains, “so the others will all be here soon.”

With a nod, Kai takes a seat. He idly taps his fingers against the table as they wait for the others to show up.

It’s the tall guy in black who arrives first. He slowly makes his way over to him, being careful to avoid doing anything that could upset him.

Kai rolls his eyes. “I know what’s going on now, you don’t have to act like I’m made of glass.”

The guy nods. “Alright.” He agrees. “My name is Cole.” He pauses a moment before adding, “And for the record, there ain't nothing in this world I'm afraid of.”

Kai just arches an eyebrow. “M’kay, that’s nice. Apparently you already know who I am, so I guess I don’t have to introduce myself.”

Cole sighs, muttering something under his breath before sitting down next to him. 

Nya sits across from them, looking between the two with a concerned expression. Right as it looks like she’s about to speak up, the ginger from before walks in.

He’s eyeing Kai nervously, but sits down beside him. A few moments pass before he speaks.

“So, uh… you know you have amnesia now.” 

Kai nods. “Yeah, I do.” He confirms. After a beat, he adds, “Who are you again?”

The pained expression that crosses the guy’s face is quickly hidden by a false smile. “Jay Walker.” He looks like he wants to add something, but seems to decide against it.

Kai sighs. These people are weird, but apparently they’re friends, so he’s going to have to get used to them. 

Silence overtakes the room, and Kai goes back to drumming his fingers against the table.

“Do you really not remember us? At all?” Jay prompts quietly.

Kai shakes his head. “According to Nya, the last thing I can remember was four years ago. Something about it being the night before a skeleton attack.”

Cole sucks in a deep breath, and the two of them stare at him in what looks like shock.

Nya looks sad, and Kai starts to find himself wishing that he  **_could_ ** remember, if only to make her feel better.

Footsteps come from behind him, and Kai turns to see Lloyd coming into the room. “I’m sorry, I can’t talk right now, I’ve got paperwork.” He sounds glum when he speaks, but he gives Kai a friendly smile as he walks into the kitchen.

Paperwork? Oh, probably for his job-

“ **_Shit_ ** , do I have a job I need to get to?” Kai stands up, glancing around. Since he apparently lives here, he’s probably not running the shop, but he probably has some kind of work to do.

Nya shakes her head, but Jay speaks up. “Well, I mean, you had that one modeling gig today, but Zane cancelled it for you.”

Kai stares at him for a few moments. “I had a… what?”

Cole sighs. “Good going, Motormouth.” He sounds slightly annoyed, but not enough to be involved in a real argument.

A nervous chuckle escapes the ginger. “Heh… oops?”

“What did you mean ‘modeling gig’?” Kai demands.

“It’s just a side job, you mostly do it for fun.” Nya tells him, giving Jay a side glare, which the blue-clad boy winces at.

“I’m a model?” Kai’s tone is incredulous- this is just getting ridiculous. Even on the side, just… a  **_model_ ** ? Seriously?

Cole gives him a somewhat amused smile. “We actually tried to talk you out of it, but you didn’t listen- we eventually gave up. Besides, you had a lot of fun with it.”

Kai opens his mouth to speak, but someone walks in from the kitche- are they  **_made of metal_ ** ?

He takes in a deep breath as the metal person sets some food down on the table. Okay, so this must be the Zane that Nya mentioned. 

Zane gives him a small smile. “Hello, Kai. Lloyd tells me that you have a form of amnesia. Later, I’d like to try and see if we can diagnose what kind.”

“Okay…” Kai agrees, still eyeing him carefully. He waits until Zane gives a small nod and walks back into the kitchen to voice his question.

Glancing warily at those around him, he quietly asks, “He’s not gonna go all ‘Terminator’ on us, right?”

The three stare at him in shock, seeming to look offended by that. 

“Of course not!” Jay snaps. “How could you even ask something like that?!”

Kai glares at the ginger. “How am I supposed to know what he’s like?!” He shoots back. “I don’t know anything about you weirdos!”

Anger lights in Jay’s eyes, but as he’s about to retort, Cole intervenes. “We’re not doing this!” He decides. “It’s just a misunderstanding.” 

“ **_Misunderstanding_ ** \- did you not hear what he said about Zane?!”

“Said what about me?” The robot re-enters the room, an expression of mild confusion on his face.

Nya sighs, putting her head in her hands.

“I was making sure that you weren’t some kind of evil A.I that wanted to take over the world.” Kai explains. “And they don’t seem to think you are, but-“

He cuts himself off at the hurt expression Zane wears. He seems extremely uncomfortable and even betrayed. 

“N- no. I’m not trying to take over the world.” The robot says shakily. “I was built to protect those who cannot protect themselves.” 

Kai keeps his probably rude comment about whether or not that’s a lie to himself, instead choosing to say, “Alright, but keep whatever laser guns you have to yourself.”

Zane blinks, and Kai ignores the glares the others give him.

“I don’t have laser guns.” 

The brunet rolls his eyes. “I mean, don’t try to kill me.”

The robot looks deeply offended by this. “I would never! Kai, you’re my-“ he pauses for a few moments, “-my  **_friend_ ** .” His sad, pleading blue eyes make him soften some- though he’s not sure why.

Kai studies him for a few moments before sighing. “Okay, okay. We’re all friends here, got it. Now stop looking at me like that.”

Zane looks down at the floor. “If that would make you feel better.” He sits down at the table next to Nya.

Kai’s aware that Jay and Cole are glaring at him, but he doesn’t really care. Do they seriously blame him for making sure he’s not going to get murdered in the middle of the night? Sheesh.

So the three of them start eating, with chattering that Kai is reluctantly forced to engage in. He doesn’t really learn much about his life from the small talk.

But he doesn’t miss how Zane stays silent the whole meal.


	4. Magic Isn’t Real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oof I was excited but I got chapters 4 and 5 mixed up

When they finish eating, Zane wordlessly picks up all of their plates and heads back into the kitchen.

Jay looks after him, but after a moment, he looks over at Nya. “I need to go do maintenance on the ship…” He trails off.

Nya gets up. “Cole, would you hang with Kai? Sparky here is gonna need my help.” 

Cole nods. “Yeah, I can do that.” Then he mouths something to Jay that Kai can’t quite make out- but apparently the ginger did, because he nods and gives a thumbs up.

Kai sighs. He doesn’t like how they’re all supervising him, but he has to admit that it makes sense, given all the chaos he caused earlier. 

The two leave the room, and Cole gets up as well, heading in a different direction and prompting Kai to follow him.

With an internal groan, he gets to his feet and lets the black-clad noiret lead him to wherever.

They stop in what looks like a living room; it has a couch in the middle and a TV on the wall with controllers hooked up to it.

Cole sits down, and Kai sits beside him. A tense silence overtakes them for a while before Kai speaks up.

“So does the robot have feelings? Because you’re all acting like-“

“ **_Of course_ ** Zane has feelings.” Cole sounds annoyed, and he’s glaring heavily. 

Kai crosses his arms. “Look, I don’t know you people. How am I supposed to learn these things if I don’t ask, huh? You guys just expecting me to just suddenly regain my memory? Is that what you think is gonna happen? Are you waiting for  **_magic_ ** to just fix everything? Because I’ve got some bad news for ya.” He drops his voice to a stage whisper. “ **_Magic isn’t real_ ** .”

Cole stares at him blankly. “You- right. You haven’t seen magic since you lost your memory.”

Oh, goodie. Now they’re gonna try to tell him that  **_magic_ ** is real? 

“I’m serious.” Cole insists, likely reading his incredulous expression. “You literally had a pet dragon for a little while; his name was Flame. And-“

“Yeah, right.” Kai scoffs. “A pet dragon?  **_Really_ ** ? Dragons aren’t real, or at the very least, not from this world.” 

“Kai-“

“Nope, this is where I’m drawing the line. Flying boat? Understandable. Amnesia? Sure. A sentient robot? Why the hell not? But  **_magic_ ** ?” He rolls his eyes. “There’s no such thi-“

He cuts himself off when he sees a cloud of dirt and rocks appearing around Cole’s hand, which he lifted up. After a few moments, a large stone appears in his palm. 

He throws it upwards and catches it a few times before tossing it to Kai.

The brunet snatches it out of the air with speed that seems somewhat surprising to him, but doesn’t dwell on it. Maybe the self he forgot played baseball with these guys or something.

Kai studies the rock, trying to see if its actually real. Well, even if it wasn’t real, he’d be impressed, because he would’ve been able to create an illusion.

But no, the rock is actually there, and actually a rock. Frowning, Kai sets it down. He hesitates a few moments before warily asking, “Can  **_I_ ** do that?”.

Cole opens his mouth to reply, but Kai doesn’t wait for an answer. He just holds up his hand and tries to concentrate, to create something.

His hand lights on fire.

A loud, earsplitting screech escapes him as he jumps to his feet, waving his hand around to try and put it out.

He faintly hears Cole telling him to calm down, but how the fuck is he supposed to calm down when he’s  **_on fire_ ** ?!

As he’s flailing about, the fire starts spreading across him, and when he trips and falls on the wooden floor… 

The entire room is flaming in less than a minute.

Cole seems to be freaking out now, which is **_a_** **_good thing_** , why was he not concerned when it was just Kai burning and holy fucking **_shit_** HE’S STILL ON FIRE!

Kai’s pretty sure he’s still screaming, but he honestly doesn’t care at this point, they’re all going to fucking  **_die_ ** -

Suddenly, the room drops in temperature, and the fires flicker before fading out. 

Kai, breathing heavily as he tries to recover from whatever the hell just happened, looks over to see Zane in the doorway, withdrawing his hands as though it was  **_him_ ** who extinguished it.

Cole’s panicked look fades. “Zane.” He breathes, clearly relieved. “Perfect timing, as usual.”

Zane looks over at Kai, who’s still trying to catch his breath. He looks all over himself for injuries, but he doesn’t see any burns- even his  **_clothes_ ** aren’t singed.

Kai looks up at the two of them. Panting and trying to ignore his throat that’s sore from screaming, he voices his thoughts. 

“What the everloving  **_FUCK_ ** just happened?”


	5. You’re My Boyfriend?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [cackles evilly]

“Well I wouldn’t have panicked if I knew I was fireproof!” Kai defends himself. “Why wouldn’t you tell me I was fireproof?!”

Cole stares at him, an angry and frustrated expression forming on his face. “Uh, because you weren’t supposed to light yourself on fire? How was I supposed to know you were going to do that?!”

The three of them are back in the dining room, sitting at the table. Zane seems exasperated with their fight, but doesn’t try to stop them.

“Well if you’re my friend you should’ve known me well enough to know I would do that!” Kai shoots back, well aware that he’s already lost this argument- but there is no way in **_hell_ ** that he’s giving in.

Cole gapes. “I- you- that’s not how it-” He fumbles for words, clearly unprepared for that remark.

The noiret gives up, deciding to just grumble under his breath- Kai’s not all too sure what he's mumbling, but he thinks he catches him saying the words _‘annoying’_ and _‘dumbass’_.

“If you’re gonna talk shit about me, why don’t you do it loud enough so I can hear and tell you to shut your damn mouth.” Kai snarks.

Cole sucks in a deep breath. “Alright, Hotshot, listen up. I’m gonna need you to **_tone it down_ **, okay? I get that you’re stressed, but you don’t need to lash out-“

“So calling you out on your stupidity is lashing out now?” Kai arches an eyebrow.

The noiret opens his mouth to respond, but Zane intervenes. “I believe Cole is just trying to ask you to be polite-“

“If you guys are my friends, then you should be used to me.” Kai crosses his arms with a glare.

“Yeah, but I think you grew as a person since the first time we met, you haven’t been this much of an asshole in **_years_ ** .” Cole snaps. “And stop pulling the whole _‘if you’re really my friends’_ card, I’m your fucking **_boyfriend_ ** and-“

Kai blinks. “You’re my **_what_ **?” He demands. 

Cole suddenly seems to realize what he said and shuts his mouth, looking over at Zane with a panicked expression.

The robot just shrugs, a look of apprehension on his face.

“You’re my **_boyfriend_ **?” Kai scoffs, incredulous. He looks the noiret up and down. “Yeah, sorry, but you’re not my type.” 

“Oh, Great First Master give me strength.” Cole mutters to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“I **_am_ ** your boyfriend, whether you like it or not!” He grits his teeth, clearly frustrated. “I’m just trying to explain that I **_do_ ** know you, I know you better than-“

“There’s no way I’m dating someone like **_you_ ** !” Kai snarls, feeling anger light inside him. This jackass has been nothing but annoying since they met- or that Kai can remember them meeting- and he’s going to try to tell him that they’re **_dating_ **?

Cole has a hurt expression, but he keeps talking anyway. “Kai, I know you lost your memory, but we love each other-“

Kai glares. “I’m breaking up with you.” He proclaims. 

Without waiting for a response, he gets up and storms out of the room.

There’s no way in **_hell_ ** he’s dating someone like **_that_ **.

{ { { { { { { { { { ~ } } } } } } } } } }

Cole just sits there, trying to process what happened. Kai- **_what_ **?

He- he knows that he lost his memory and that they haven’t been getting along since he woke up, but… 

Zane immediately goes to his side, hugging him close to his chest. “I’m sure he didn’t mean it.” He assures.

Cole clutches him tightly, his mind still trying to catch up. “I know he lost his memory- but I thought that…” He trails off, trying to ignore the tears forming in his eyes. 

“It’s going to be okay, we’ll help him remember and everything will go back to how it was before. He still loves you, he just doesn’t quite realize what he’s feeling.” Zane promises.

Cole just buries his face in his boyfriend’s shirt, trying to hold back the tears that have begun to spill over. 

Kai’s lost his memory, but he still loves him… 

Doesn’t he?


	6. It Can Happen Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello would you like some angst? Too bad you’re getting some

It’s been about thirty minutes since his confrontation with Cole, and Kai is having…  **_emotions_ ** .

He’s not all too sure what they all are, but there’s definitely some guilt in there.

Choosing to avoid talking to anyone, he wanders around until he finds a good room to hide in.

The room he chooses is pretty big, and seems to be set into four sections. One is very organized, one is messy, and the other two are somewhere in between. 

He finds himself drawn to one of the sections; it has clothes strewn on the floor and hair products laying about, but something about it seems important. 

He picks up one of the shirts on the floor and looks it over. It’s red- like almost everything in this section of the room- but like with this whole area, something seems to stand out.

He drops the shirt and shakes his head, going back to surveying the rest of the room.

There’s a large bed in the middle of it- ridiculously large, in Kai’s opinion. But even if underneath it would be a good hiding spot, Lloyd found him there last time, so he needs a new plan.

After a few minutes, he just shoves himself in the back of the closet.

There. Problem solved.

* * *

Okay, new problem.

Kai’s been in here for at least four hours, he’s tired, hungry and bored, but  **_the closet door is jammed_ ** . 

He’s stuck.

Cursing, he tries to shove it open for the upteenth time, but the damn thing won’t budge. No matter how hard he pushes, twists, or smacks where the handle on the other side is, the door doesn’t move.

He freezes as he hears the door to the room open.  **_Great_ ** . Now someone’s in here.

… should he ask them for help getting out?

No, he doesn’t need help, he can figure something out himself! He doesn’t need any of these weirdos!

He hears a loud sigh and creaking- someone likely flopped onto the bed. 

There’s more footsteps, but he can’t tell how many people there are. 

He stays as still as possible, trying to avoid being heard. He’ll just wait for them to leave before he finds a way out. 

“Cole-“ A voice begins- Zane, maybe?- but is cut off by a loud groan.

“I just want to help!” Cole- yeah, this one’s definitely Cole- complains, the pain clear in his voice.

More creaking noises signal that someone else sat on the bed.

“It’s going to be okay.” Zane assures, though he sounds like he’s reassuring himself just as much as he is Cole. “He’s going to get his memories back, and-“

“But what if he doesn’t?!” Jay- hmm, is that Jay? Yeah, no one else has that weird annoying voice- sounds shaky, almost terrified. “He broke up with Cole! He-“

“It’s going to be okay.” Zane insists, firmer this time. “He’ll realize he made a mistake, and it’ll all go back to how it was before.”

Oh, shit. They’re talking about  **_him_ ** .

“Zane, you heard what he said to me. He- he  **_hates_ ** me! I just want to help, but…” Cole trails off, clearly pained.

… Was he really that rude? Thinking back, Kai winces as he realizes what he said. Okay, maybe he could’ve made his point without acting like that- but it wasn’t like Cole was acting any better.

“It’s going to be stressful for a while,” Zane admits, “but it  **_will_ ** get better.  **_He_ ** will get better.”

“We don’t even know where he is. Even Lloyd couldn’t find him!” Cole groans. “He hates us. He barely even knows us anymore, and he hates us.”

Kai doesn’t  **_hate_ ** them, he just… doesn’t really like them all that much. They seem really weird and almost crazy, so it’s not his fault he’s getting defensive. 

There’s a muffled sniffling noise.

“Jay…” Cole says, clearly pained but trying to be reassuring. “Jay, I- I was overreacting, it- it’ll be okay-“

Jay’s voice is heavy, and Kai winces as he realizes that he’s crying. “No it won’t, he hates us and he’s going to break up with all of us and quit the team and leave and we’re never gonna see him again and-“

“Jay.” Zane’s tone is firm but comforting. “That won’t happen. He doesn’t remember us, yes, but he fell in love with us once. It can happen again.”

**_Us_ ** ? What does he mean,  **_‘us’_ ** ? Is he… dating all  **_three_ ** of them?

“I love him.” Jay whispers. “I don’t want him to leave. He doesn’t remember being our boyfriend, and he hates us, but I still love him. I still want to cuddle with him and taunt him about losing games and laugh when one of us falls down in sparring and-“ He hiccups. “- and- I- I want him to still be my boyfriend. But he  **_hates_ ** us. I just- I just want him back.” It’s clear that he’s full on sobbing at this point. 

“Jay, I-“ Cole is clearly upset as well. “I- I know. I know you want him back,  **_I_ ** want him back. But… we’re just going to have to be patient. He’ll- he’ll come back to us eventually.”

“He will.” Zane assures, but his own voice wavers. “Cole is right, we just have to be patient with him. He’ll remember.”

“And if he doesn’t?” Jay’s voice is soft, Kai can only just make it out.

There’s a heavy pause. It lasts for a few minutes- a long time for a lull in conversation.

“Come on, it’s time for dinner. He’ll come eat with us, and we can talk more tonight.” Cole decides.

Footsteps make their way out of the room, and Kai waits a few minutes before he tries the door again.

He eventually just hits where the handle is as hard as he can, and the door moves enough that he can wedge it open and get out.

Kai swallows, taking a deep breath. He was  **_definitely_ ** not supposed to hear that.

Trying not to shake, he starts making his way to the dining room.

He can think about what he heard later.


	7. It’s Nice To Meet You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pizza Time

Kai walks into the dining room. If he hadn’t overheard what he had, there would’ve been almost no way of telling the conversation from earlier- Jay’s face shows no sign that he had been crying, Cole doesn’t seem upset, and Zane is helping Nya bring in a few pizza boxes.

The two place them on the table, and Kai starts to notice how everyone’s smiles are strained, and Jay isn’t smiling at all.

Kai sits down as far away from Jay and Cole as he can get, all the way in the corner- which unfortunately isn’t that far. He starts to cringe as Zane tries to sit next to him, but Lloyd takes the seat before he can.

There’s a minute of tense silence as everyone grabs some pizza. Kai tries to reach for some, but Zane hands him a plate before he can. “Your favorite was always meat lovers.” He says in explanation.

Kai nods slowly. “Right. Thanks.”

So he munches on his pizza and tries to ignore the tension that fills the room.

It’s Jay who speaks up. “So, uh… how was everyone’s day?” His voice is soft and hesitant, and he keeps glancing over at Kai when he thinks the brunet isn’t looking.

“Pretty good,” Lloyd answers, “I did have a lot of paperwork though. Who knew that being the Savior of Ninjago would require so much work, huh?”

Everyone chuckles- everyone except for Kai.

“Uh… Savior of Ninjago?” He questions, studying Lloyd in a new light. He doesn’t look like some kind of hero, but he was definitely strong back there, and maybe even has some combat experience. 

Lloyd looks over at him in surprise. “Has no one told you?” 

Kai wordlessly shakes his head, confusion probably still all over his face.

Cole opens his mouth to say something, but seems to think better of it, and takes a bite of pizza instead.

“We’re ninja.” Nya explains. “We, uh…” She trails off, looking nervous. 

“We help protect Ninjago from those who would want to destroy it.” Zane explains.

Kai blinks, waiting for the information to fully register. 

“We do  **_what_ ** ?” He demands, eyes widening. He’s got to be kidding, but it lines up with what he’s heard so far, and Zane doesn’t seem like the type to pull jokes like that- not to mention how serious everyone looks.

Lloyd starts to try and answer, but Kai keeps talking. “The fire thing from earlier… do we have superpowers?”

Zane nods. “In a way, yes. They’re known as elemental powers, and-“

“So we’re all some kind of superheroes?” Kai gawks at them. What kind of life has he been living?!

“I… guess you could put it that way?” Cole frowns, tilting his head. 

“I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of that! We’re superheroes!” Jay smiles. He turns to Cole and starts shaking him, trying to get his attention. “Cole. Cole, we’re superheroes. Cole, look at me. Why aren’t you looking at me? Cole-“

Nya rolls her eyes, seeming amused at Jay’s antics. “Settle down, you two.”

“I wasn’t even doing anything!” Cole protests, but he’s clearly more playful than upset.

“Okay, this was fun and all, but I’m ready to wake up now.” Kai decides, getting up from his seat. “You can force yourself to wake up if you're lucid dreaming, right? Is that a thing?”

Zane sighs, a pained expression on his face. “This is not a dream, Kai.”

“That sounds like something my subconscious would say.” Kai scowls. “Isn’t pinching yourself supposed to make you wake up?” He tries pinching his arm, and while it hurts, he stays right where he is, not waking up.

“I’m ready to wake up now.” He repeats, louder this time. “Ready to wake up and go back to my everyday life.”

Lloyd gets up beside him, setting a hand on his shoulder. “Kai. You know this isn’t a dream.”

Kai squirms uncomfortably. It  **_has_ ** to be a dream. There’s no other explanation! There’s no way that he has amnesia and was some kind of weird superhero, that just doesn’t make any sense!

But deep down, he knows. He knows that they’re right. He knows that this is real, even though everything in him wants to deny it.

Trembling, he sits back down, and Lloyd does the same.

“Is this really my life?” He murmurs, trying to calm his racing heart. “I- I have powers, I fight villains, I- how did I even get into all of this?”

“It’s… a long story.” Nya admits. “A  **_really_ ** long story. But how it started…” She trails off, glancing at the others.

“She got kidnapped and you teamed up with us to rescue her, and by the time we saved her we were all good friends, and you decided to join the team.” Jay explains.

Kai blinks a few times, trying to process that. Unfortunately, he can acknowledge that he would do anything to save his sister- including joining up with a band of crazy people.

But still… this seems insane! These people, this kind of life… it’s not  **_him_ ** .

Or… maybe it is. Does he even know himself anymore? If he really missed out on four years of his life, these people might know him better than he knows himself.

If he had to go back to four years before his most recent memory, he’s sure that he would be almost an entirely different person.

Kai looks down at his pizza. Suddenly he’s not so hungry.

Biting his lip, he looks over at the three who claim to be his boyfriends. Cole won’t make eye contact, Jay seems to grow sad when they look at each other, and Zane… Zane has a thoughtful expression.

“We can start over, Kai. You don’t really know us anymore, yes? It is unfair of us to try and pressure you to be who you were. Let’s start at the beginning.” The robot gets up from the table and walks around it so he’s standing beside the brunet. He holds out his hand with a soft and slightly pained smile.

“It’s nice to meet you, Kai. My name is Zane, and I was built to protect those who cannot protect themselves.”

Kai hesitates a few moments, eyeing the robot skeptically. But after a few moments, he decides to just give it a shot. After what he had heard them saying… he’d feel too guilty to push them away, especially considering the concessions Zane had just made. And hey, if any of them try anything, he can always punch them and run to Nya- he knows that no matter what’s happened during these four years, she’ll always be there for him.

Getting up from the chair, he pauses only a moment before shaking Zane’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you too.” He returns, fighting to keep his voice steady and free of nerves.

And this doesn’t mean he’s going to start trusting them. If anything, they might see his slight acceptance as an opening. No, he’s still going to need to be careful. But it’ll be okay. If he learned how to deal with these psychos once, he can figure out how to do it again.

So he just gives a polite smile before the both of them go back to their food.

He can figure this out. He won’t give in. Because ninja never quit.

Wait- what? Where did  **_that_ ** come from? 

With a frown, Kai takes a bite of his pizza. It seems to be important- he’ll talk to Nya about what it means later.

For now, he’s just going to eat his pizza. It’s been a while since they’ve been able to afford take out.


	8. Do You Remember That?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Idk if y’all will love me or hate me after this- probably both XD
> 
> (Also this is the last pre-written chapter oof)

Cole is done eating first, and he mumbles something about training before heading off. With a sigh, Zane goes after him, leaving the other four to themselves.

That is, until Nya gets up. “Jay, we need to finish that maintenance.” She reminds, and the two of them go out to do that.

And so now they’re down to two.

Lloyd glances over at Kai, clearly nervous. After fidgeting for a few moments, he speaks. “Well… if we’re starting over and everything… my name is Lloyd Garmadon.”

“Kai Smith.” Kai returns, eyeing the blond warily. Savior of Ninjago, huh? He certainly doesn’t look the part, so there must be more to him than meets the eye.

The blond cracks a small smile. “I already knew that.”

“And I already knew your name was Lloyd. You told me before, remember?” Kai shoots back, crossing his arms.

Lloyd shrinks back a little, seeming surprised by this. But he recovers quickly, although his smile is slightly more strained. “I guess I did.” He admits.

There’s an awkward pause, and after about a minute of it, Kai decides to speak up.

“Were we dating too?” 

Lloyd gives him the most horrified and disgusted expression that he’s ever seen. “Wha-  **_No_ ** ! No, I- First Spinjitzu Master, you’re basically my older brother! And you keep insisting that I’m only twelve- which isn’t true, but- you, Zane, Cole, and Jay are dating, but not-“ Lloyd cuts himself off with a shudder.

Kai holds his hands up in surrender. “I don’t know these things!” He defends himself. “And you most certainly don’t look twelve, so it’s a fair question!”

“Well, I mean, I’m only twelve if you don’t count the Tomorrow’s Tea.” Lloyd admits. “But you basically assigned yourself as my older brother, and I can’t think of you as anything but that.”

He decides to ignore the whole ‘older brother’ thing for the moment. “Tomorrow’s Tea? Were you aged up magically or something?”

“That’s the gist of it, yeah.” Lloyd confirms. “I can still be a little immature sometimes, but I’ve been working on acting my age.”

Kai stares at him for a few seconds. “What kind of life have we been living?”

A chuckle escapes the blond. “A weird, crazy, dangerous one.”

Shifting uncomfortably, Kai comments, “That’s not making me feel any better about staying on this ship.” 

Tension suddenly floods the blond, and he rapidly shakes his head, throwing his hands up placatingly. “I’m- I’m exaggerating a little! It’s not really- uh. We have the danger under control, mostly.”

“... mostly?” Kai narrows his eyes in suspicion. What does he mean by that?

Lloyd winces with an uncomfortable laugh. “Uh… yeah.  **_Mostly_ ** .” He agrees.

“You said you were the Savior of Ninjago. Just what have you been saving Ninjago from?” Kai’s not sure he’s going to like whatever answer he’s getting, but he needs to know what kind of danger he and Nya are in.

“Pretty much everything, but it’s not like I do it alone. You guys are the best team I could ask for, and I wouldn't have made it past my first fight without you all… and you in particular.” Lloyd glances away. “Like I said before, you’re basically my older brother. You’re always there to pull my butt out of the fire- sometimes more literally than others.”

“What do you mean, ‘literally’? Did I save you from an active volcano or something?” 

He’s definitely taken aback by the excitement Lloyd shows at his words. “Do you- do you remember that?” He sounds thrilled at the idea, a large grin on his face.

For some reason, Kai feels like he doesn’t want to let him down, but he’s not going to lie about something like this.

“I- I was kind of joking. I didn’t think that was an actual thing that could’ve happened.” He admits, feeling somewhat guilty for getting his hopes up.

Lloyd’s smile slowly starts to die. “Oh.” He bites his lip, shoulders sagging.

After a few moments, Kai finds his curiosity getting the better of him. As much as he wants to shut these people out, if he’s really missing memories… he needs to know what life he’s lost.

“What happened at the volcano?” He questions.

Lloyd blinks a few times, seeming surprised by the question. But then he smiles again- not as cheery as before, but still happy. “It’s when you unlocked your True Potential- and when you found out I was the green ninja.”

Kai blinks. “What’s a ‘True Potential’?”

So Lloyd starts explaining, and Kai has to constantly interrupt with questions because he keeps glossing over things that he seems to think Kai will understand, but he eventually gets to the whole volcano thing and how it ended.

“So what you’re telling me is that I had the thought,  _ ‘I don’t have to be the best at everything _ ’ and then I started glowing and stuff?” Kai gives him a skeptical look.

“Okay, it sounds really stupid when you say it like that, but unlocking your True Potential is a big deal. I know it sounds weird, but it’s how you’re able to control your powers.”

Kai blinks. “Uh. So I need to re-unlock my True Potential before I can control my fire powers?”

Lloyd hesitates a moment. “I’m not sure.” He admits. “Normally, yeah, but since we have the Soul Bond-“

“We have a  **_what_ ** ?” Kai stares at him in shock, trying to process the words. 

“Oh… right.” Lloyd gives a nervous chuckle, glancing off to the side. “Um… forget I said that, okay?”

“No, that seems like a big deal, and you need to explain it.” The brunet demands.

Lloyd shifts nervously, clearly uncomfortable. “It’s a long story-“

“We have time.” Kai argues, crossing his arms and staring the blond down.

“It’s really complicated-“ Lloyd tries.

“I’ll pay close attention.” The brunet counters. He needs to know what he means by ‘Soul Bond’.

Lloyd seems to have run out of excuses, and he stutters out a few things he can’t make out, clearly trying to come up with some reason why he can’t tell him.

“Kai- look, just trust me on this, okay? It’s not a story you’re ready for.”

With a huff, the brunet gets up from the table and walks out. Whatever, it’s not like he actually needs to know any of this stuff. He doesn’t need those dumb four years, he’s got plenty of other memories! Yeah, that’s fine. He doesn’t need them. He’s perfectly happy how he is.

Storming out onto the deck, Kai stumbles and stops in his tracks when he sees both Zane and Cole. No, he doesn’t want to deal with them, they have all kind of issues going on-

He freezes when he sees the robot reach over and tenderly lock Cole into a gentle kiss, wrapping a hand around the noirette’s waist to pull him in closer.

Cole locks his arm behind Zane’s back in order to deepen the kiss, the two of them so immersed in it that they haven’t noticed Kai standing there.

The sight makes something in Kai’s stomach twirl, but he’s not sure what the hell it is or what he’s feeling, so he does the only thing he can think of.

He runs away, back into the ship and into the sectioned room from before. He has no idea why his heart is racing or what the pang in his chest means, but he does his best to blot it out, sitting down in the red area.

Clutching his knees to his chest, Kai squeezes his eyes shut, unsure of why seeing that is affecting him so much. He’s seen people kiss before, but he’s never felt like this! He’s never reacted with a racing heart and flushed face, never reacted with shortness of breath and a pang in his che-

Oh.

Is he…

Is he in love with them?


	9. Ice, Electricity, And Painful Injuries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know if you guys have realized this yet, but I am a horrible person :D

Eventually, Nya comes in, looking concerned. 

“It’s getting late.” She notes, choosing not to comment on however she feels about how he’s been acting.

Kai nods. “Where am I sleeping?” A sudden thought strikes him. “I- I don’t sleep with…  **_them_ ** , do I?”

Nya seems uncomfortable. “We agreed that that would be a bad idea, and before you got together, you used to stay in a different room- the room you woke up in. And-“

“Alright, I’ll just go there and go to bed.” Kai gets up from his spot on the floor.

After pausing for a moment, Nya nods. “Do you need me to show you where it is, or-“

He shakes his head. “I remember.” Without waiting for a response, he heads off to the room, silently grateful for the fact that he’s not going to have to spend the night with the others.

He’s only just sat down when there’s a knock.

Groaning, he gets up and walks over to the entryway, opening the door. 

Cole stands there with a small, slight forced smile, holding a set of striped red pajamas. “These are for you.”

Eyeing him warily, Kai takes them. “Uh, th- thanks.” He stutters out, trying to ignore the way his mind flashes back to how he watched him make out with Zane.

“Are you okay? Your face is really red.”

**_Shit._ **

“Yeah I’m fine everything’s fine you should go now bye.” Kai blurts out in a rush. As soon as the words have left his mouth, he slams the door shut in his face.

Well, that solved absolutely nothing. 

He has enough emotions going on- these people are crazy, and he doesn’t want to have to get to know them or have anything to do with them!

So why is his heart racing? Why does he feel like this?! He doesn’t want to like these assholes, he wants to be able to threaten to skewer them and actually mean it!

With a quiet grumble, he starts getting changed- but he almost drops the pajama shirt when he looks down at his torso.

Since when did he have a six-pack?! It’s not defined like a bodybuilder’s or anything, but he’s definitely got some strong muscles there. 

Shaking his head, he goes back to putting on his pajamas. He must seriously work out a lot.

Well, if he’s a ninja savior of Ninjago, then he’s probably going to have to be in good shape.

Sighing, he turns off the light and gets on the bed. Curling up under the covers, he closes his eyes and tries to drift off.

If he’s lucky, maybe he’ll wake up back at home.

* * *

Kai wakes up in the red bed he went to sleep in.

**_Drat_ ** . 

With a sigh, he gets up from the bed, and just as he does, the door opens.

Jay stands there, a nervous smile on his face. “I, uh… I guess your internal clock still works. But, uh, it’s breakfast time, so-“

With a groan, Kai walks over to him. “Alright, let’s go eat.” He grumbles.

He pretends not to notice how Jay tries to hold his hand, and after a moment, he stops trying to take it, and Kai ignores how that sparks guilt inside of him. It’s fine, he doesn’t care. He shouldn’t feel bad, he doesn’t even know him!

They’ve only just reached the dining room when an alarm starts blaring. Kai immediately feels himself switch into a fight-or-flight mode, trying to figure out what the hell is going on. 

Then Nya’s voice comes on over the comms. “Everyone to the bridge!  **_Now_ ** !”

Jay tenses up. “C’mon!” Without waiting for a response, he takes off running, leaving Kai to chase him down the halls.

When they arrive at the bridge, everyone else is already there. 

Zane immediately starts talking. “There appears to be a genetically engineered snake being used to terrorize New Ninjago City. From what we can tell, it was created by-“

“Cut to the chase!” Nya interrupts.

Lloyd shakes his head. “No, we have comms, we can get an explanation on the way. Let’s go!” 

There’s hardly a pause before they all race out of the room- but Lloyd peeks back around the corner to look at him. “You- you just wait here, okay?”

Kai doesn’t get a chance to respond before the blond runs off, leaving him alone.

What the hell just happened?

Still trying to process things, he decides to go into the living room and see if he can watch what’s going on in the news. Whatever’s going on, it seems like a big deal.

So he walks in and turns on the TV, waiting for an explanation to be given.

He watches as a reporter- Gayle Gossip, she said her name was- shows some weird ice snake thing attacking the city. Listening carefully, he can just make out some words that the ninja are saying as they try to stop it.

“- weakness to heat-“

“-Zane, fall back-“

“ **_MOVE_ ** !”

Kai stares in horror as he watches Nya get thrown from her vehicle and tossed into a building.

Something in him screams at him to move, and he listens to it, getting up from the couch and scrambling off to wherever the hell his instinct is taking him.

He finds himself in some kind of little launchpad like area for vehicles, and finds himself gravitating towards a red motorcycle.

Oh, what is he doing? He’s not seriously going to try and fight the ice snake, is he?

Yeah. Yeah, he is. Because  **_no one_ ** messes with his little sister. 

Kai starts up the bike and continues to trust his instincts, just doing whatever feels right. 

Which is how he ends up screaming his head off while he falls from the sky on the motorcycle.

The bike falls out from under him, and Kai finds himself flailing about, still screaming.

Until he feels himself get grabbed, and a loud grunt escapes him as he scrambles for purchase on whatever he just fell onto.

He blinks a few times as he realizes that he’s on a- on a **_dragon_** **_what the hell_** -

Clinging to the rider of the dragon, he feels his eyes widen as he recognizes them.

“Zane?”

The robot looks back at him. “Kai?” He seems shocked. “You were supposed to wait on the ship!”

Before the brunet gets the chance to respond, the tail of the ice snake is suddenly striking towards them, and Zane has the dragon dip, trying to avoid it.

But it’s a rocky move, and they still get hit, the dragon literally disappearing under them.

Kai hits the ground with a loud thudding noise, but luckily enough, he doesn’t seem to be too badly hurt.

He gets to his feet, and Zane quickly runs up to him, getting in close.

Kai’s about to brush him off, but he’s caught off guard by his eyes. His bright blue eyes that glow, and the deep concern behind them as they stare into his own.

“You’re not hurt, are you?” His voice is gentle, full of concern and softness.

Kai swallows, but doesn’t answer, still captivated by the glowing blue irises that seem to stare through to his soul. 

“Kai? Please, are you okay?”

He nods shakily, unsure why he’s so affected by something as minor as eye contact. 

“I’m going to scan you.” Zane decides, setting a hand on his shoulder. His eyes flicker a little as he looks Kai up and down, a thin band of light emitting from them and falling over Kai’s figure.

And that’s when he snaps out of it.

Stepping away, he shoves Zane back, putting his arms out in front of him in defense. “Woah there, I did not agree to be scanned! So keep that little light show to yourself!”

The robot blinks a few times as he steps back, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. “My apologies, I was only trying to-“

The snake’s tail slams into a building, sending wreckage flying everywhere. With a mumbled complaint that Kai can’t quite make out, Zane pulls him aside. “Stay out of trouble. I’ll return when the fight is over.”

Without waiting for a response, he runs off, leaving Kai alone.

He stands there for a few moments, looking around the torn up alley and listening to the nearby noises of combat. Something inside him is itching to go follow, and after a moment of consideration, he runs off towards the battle. 

As soon as he gets close, he’s forced to dodge and duck behind some debris to avoid getting frozen by an icy blast. So it’s an ice creature, then? 

… fire melts ice, right? Maybe if Kai can get close, he-

“Kai?! What are you doing here?!” Jay shouts, grabbing his arm and pulling him out of the way of an attack.

“I’m helping!” Kai defends himself as the ginger uses a blast of lightning to shatter a large chunk of ice that had been flying towards them.

“No! No, you are not! I’m going to have to protect you instead of actually concentrating on the fight! Why didn’t you stay on the ship?!” Jay glares, grabbing Kai by the wrist and pulling him along.

“So I could come help!” The two of them narrowly miss getting impaled by flying concrete as they duck behind a still-intact building.

Jay looks downright furious- an expression that almost looks cute on his baby-ish face. “We have just covered that you are not helping!  **_Not_ ** .  **_Helping_ ** . Not helping at all!”

Kai feels his face flush some at the scrunched up nose and the way his cheeks puff out. Still, he manages to defend himself. “It’s ice and I have fire powers!”

Grabbing him again, Jay drags him around as they avoid getting impaled by debris created by the snake. “If this snake doesn’t kill you,  **_I will_ ** ! And if it does, I’ll resurrect you and kill you again!”

Kai arches an eyebrow at the statement. “Aren’t you supposed to be in love with me?” He complains.

Jay gives him a  **_look_ ** . “It’s because I love you that I threaten to kill you. Because  **_apparently_ ** threatening is your love language.”

“Huh?”

“You do it all the ti-  **_LOOK OUT_ ** !” Jay tackles him, sending a blast of lightning at the the tail of the snake that’s crashing down-

Everything goes bright white, and pain wracks his body, making him cry out. They manage to avoid getting crushed, but only just, and the two of them end up sprawled on the ground.

Kai feels himself twitch some, all of his hair on end. Groaning, he glances over at Jay, who’s getting to his feet.

The ginger’s eyes widen as he looks at Kai. “Shit, I- are you okay?! I didn’t mean to shock you!”

He got shocked? Hmm. That would explain the excruciating pain. 

With a groan, he forces himself to sit up. “ ‘m doin’ g-great.” He gets out, ignoring his blurry vision as he struggles to his feet.

“Kai-“

Jay is cut off when the snake is suddenly whipping back through, hitting the ginger clear across the alley- and the only reason he stopped there is because of a wall. 

Kai winces as he watches Jay get slammed into the concrete. That can’t feel good.

Then again, he’s not exactly in peak condition either.

He struggles to get up a few times before resolving to just lay there. Jay will come get him in a minute, and even though it’s concrete, the ground feels awfully comfortable… 

Even as his vision grows more and more blurred, he manages to make out several sets of combat boots, and then someone is picking him up, dragging him away.

Kai lets them, closing his eyes. It’s probably just Cole… yeah, Cole wears black, and is definitely strong enough to carry him around. That would make sense.

The world starts to fade, and Kai doesn’t bother trying to hold onto it.

Everything hurts, and it would be so much easier to ignore it and drift away… 

And that’s exactly what he does.


End file.
